Clock casing construction



Aug. 16, 1932. N. F. THOMPSON. JR.. E'TAL 1,872,610

' CLOCK CASING CONSTRUCTION Filed March 15. 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 16, 1932.

N. F. THOMPSON, JR., ETAL CLOCK CASING CONSTRUCTION Filed March 15. 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 f UNITED STATES Patented Aug. 1 6, 1932 PATENTNOFFICE A NORMAN F. THOMPSON, maor COLEBROOK, AND OTHNEIL G. WILLIAMS, or wms'rnn,

CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOES TO WILLIAM L; GILBERT CLOCK COMPANY, OF WINSTED,

CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT I cLocx cAsme CONSTRUCTION Application filed March 15, 1930. Serial No. 436,216

, The present invention has to do broadly with the casing construction of clocks and ismore particularly concerned with clocks of the type which include a front plate to which the clockw'orks and casing are aflixed.

Casing constructions of the above noted type are now well known and these old prior art constructions are generally characterized A as including a back piece which is integral ly formed with a cylindrical casing which houses the clocliworks. The latter has, as an essential part thereof, a sash which fits over the marginal edge of a circular opening in ,r the front plate and which is firmly held in this position by a nut and-bolt arrangement that is a part ofthe clockworks and which cooperates with the back piece to hold the clockworks in position and at the same time clamp the casing to the rear face of the front It is also common practice to provide a lug or projection on the front plate and which lug cooperates with a complemental recess on the casing to prevent any appreci:

' able amount of relative rotation between these parts, as well as to indicate the-proper relative positions of the casing and front plate to facilitate assembling operations.

With the foregoing in mind, the instant invention has in view, as an important object, the provision of a casing construction which includes means for-preventing relative lateral movement between the casing and front plate. In carrying out this idea in apractical embodiment the rear face of the front plate is under-cut about the opening therein to provide a circular shoulder in whichis seated the open end of the casing.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out more in detail hereinafter.

The invent on accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will to the followingdescription and accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a view in front'elevation of a clock including acasing construction made we in accordance with this invention. Figure 2 is a showing partly in section and partly in elevation of the clock shown in Figure I, this view being taken from the side with the parts in section taken about on the planerepresented by the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a detailed showing of the front plate taken from the back face thereof and bringing out the construction in elevation.

Figure 4' is a detailed perspectiveof the casing, and

'Figure 5 is a detailed fragmentary showingof thecasing and front plate bringing out the interlock between these parts Y Referring now" to the drawings, a'clockworks is shown in Figure 2 and referred to generally by the reference character ,A. It is to be clearly understood that the particular type of clockworks employed in the illustrated construction is, not material-to the present invention other than that it includes certain features of construction hereinafter pointed out. The actual clock mechanism for turning the hands does'not enter into this invention and therefore any type of clockworks can be employed with thecasing construction hereof providing ithas as essential elements thereof, a sash and threaded bolts 11 extending from the frame of the clockworks. The sash 10 is of a circular shape and is of a tapered construction providing a flange indicated at 12 which bears against the front face of a front plate 13. The latter is formed with a large centrally disposed opening 14 in which the clockworks A is positioned with the sash 10 fitting over the marginal edge; of this opening. The front plate 13 ordinarily includes ornamental features of design such as are clearly brought out in Figure 1 and also is constructed to provide suitable feet as indicated at 15 for engaging a supporting surface onwhich the clock is placed to maintain the latter in an upstanding position.

Referring now to Figure 3,'it is notable that the rear face of the front plate 13 is undercut surrounding the opening 14 to provide a shoulder designated 16. A lug 17 projects inwardly from the shoulder 16 at the bottom of thefront plate for a purpose to be later specified.

A casing referred to generally as B is shown in detail in Figure 4 and this casing comprises a cylindrical portion 18 and a back piece 19 integral therewith. The back piece 19 is provided with openings 20 which are designed to receive the bolts 11 when the clock is assembled. Additional openings indicated at 21 may also be provided in the back piece 19 for receiving the winding stems and other like operating parts of the clock mechanism. The cylindrical portion of the casing 18 is provided with a notch as shown at 22 which is designed to cooperate with the projection 17 to prevent relative rotation between these parts.

In assembling the foregoing construction, the clockworks A is first passed through the opening 14 to the point where the sash 10 engages the front plate 13. The casing B is then positioned around the works A with the front edge or lip of the cylindrical portion 18 fitting in the circular shoulder 16. In this position the bolts 11 extend through the openings ;20 and the stems of certain other operatin members pass through the openings 21. This positioning of the casing is facilitated by the notch and lug arrangement 22 and 17, as the notch 22 is designed to receive the lug 17 thereby performing the double function of not only inhibiting relative rotative movement between these parts but also serving as a guide or indicating means during the assembling operations. After the casing has been positioned as above described, nuts 23 are threaded on the bolts 11 and screwed down tight against the back piece 19 to securely clamp the front plate, clockworks, and casing in assembled position.

It is apparent that the foregoing construction is not only of a highly simplified nature but is also one that is susceptible of comparatively easy manufacture and ready assembly. The integral one-piece construction of the cylindrical portion and back piece of the case together with the manner of clamping this member to the front plate by availing of the clockworks themselves as apart of the clamping means provides a construction of the few.-

" est possible number of parts. Moreover, the

provision of the shoulder 16 insures a rigid and positive assembly of the parts which is maintained throughout the normal use of the clock. This surety of maintaining the parts assembled is also further enhanced by the lug and notch arrangement 17 and 22.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from guage used in the following claims is intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

What is claimed is:

1 A clock construction of the class described comprising, in combination, a front plate having an opening therein, .a casing having a free edge fitting against the rear face of the front plate, means for preventing relative lateral movement between the front plateand casing, the free edge of said casing eing formed with a notch therein, a lugon said front plate fitting in said notch, and a clockworks fitted in said opening and housed by said casing and including a nut and bolt arrangement for clamping the casing to the front plate.

2. A front plate for a clock construction including a clock-works provided with asash at its forward end and having a casing for enclosing the rear portion of the clock-works, comprising an upright body plate of fanciful configuration having an opening there through for receiving the clock-works and with said sash overlapping the exterior man gmal portion of the body plate about the 0peni-ng, said body plate having at its rear side an undercut shoulder spaced from the marginal edge of said opening shaped to the configuration of the forward edge of said casng for receiving the forward edge of the casing therein to center the casing about the clock-works and relatively to the body plate, said clock-works having means engaging the casing to bind the latter Within the shoulder and against the body plate in the normal position of enclosing the clock, said body plate having a projection on said shoulder extending radially inward with respect to the opening and said casing having a recess in 1ts forward edge for receiving said projection to determine and interlock the casing in relative position upon the body plate.

NORMAN F. THOMPSON, JR. OTHNEIL G. WILLIAMS. 

